A GIRL FROM A FAVELA WILL REPRESENT BRAZIL AT BRAIN BEE

Lorrayne Isidoro Gonçalves never had it easy. Living in the Camarista Favela, a slum in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro, she goes to public school. Unfortunately, not many successful stories in Brazil begin like this. But the 17-year-old girl managed to win a national knowledge competition and will now represent Brazil in the 2016 Brain Bee World Championship – which is essentially the World Cup of neuroscience. On her way to beat thirteen competitors for the national title, she had to answer 100 questions on neuroanatomy, neurohistology, neurophysiology and clinical neuroscience. Lorrayne, who already speaks French and English, began to study Danish for the competition that starts tomorrow and concludes on July 4. Her interest in neuroscience started towards the end of high school when she borrowed some books…